MHSAA praises Beaverton Rural Schools for handling of fan incident

Published 7:30 am, Friday, February 7, 2014

Michigan High School Athletic Association Assistant Director Mark Uyl praised the action of Beaverton Rural Schools in response to a fan touching an official during a recent basketball game.

The incident took place during the Jan. 22 boys’ varsity game at Beaverton High School between Beaverton and Meridian. After making contact with the official, according to a report filed with the MHSAA by the officiating crew, the fan was ejected from the game and was escorted out of the gym.

“The fan was issued a multiple-game suspension (by the Beaverton school district),” Uyl told the Daily News on Thursday after receiving a written explanation of the punishment from Beaverton. “If the fan makes an apology, the suspension could be reduced to fewer games.”

Uyl said the measures taken by Beaverton were appropriate.

“They’ve certainly stepped up,” he said, noting that the punishment given exceeds the one-game suspension required when a player or a coach is ejected from a game. MHSAA rules do not govern discipline of spectators, so it was up to the school district to decide on its response.

“In educational athletics, everything should be a learning experience,” Uyl said. “I think in this case, it’s been a good learning experience for everyone involved.”

Uyl also said that he would be contacting the Heart of Michigan Officials Association — which assigned the officiating crew that worked the Jan. 22 game — to let the association know what measures Beaverton had taken.